Broadband excitation pulses for high‐field solid‐state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

In nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, experimental limits due to the radiofrequency transmitter and/or coil means that conventional radiofrequency pulses (“hard pulses”) are sometimes not sufficiently powerful to excite magnetization uniformly over a desired range of frequencies. Effects due to nonuniform excitation are most frequently encountered at high magnetic fields for nuclei with a large range of chemical shifts. Using optimal control theory, we have designed broadband excitation pulses that are suitable for solid‐state samples under magic‐angle‐spinning conditions. These pulses are easy to implement, robust to spinning frequency variations, and radiofrequency inhomogeneities, and only four times as long as a corresponding hard pulse. The utility of these pulses for uniformly exciting ¹³C nuclei is demonstrated on a 900 MHz (21.1 T) spectrometer. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Transformation of macromonomers into ring‐opening polymerization macroinitiators: A detailed initiation efficiency study

In the present study, n‐butyl acrylate macromonomer (BAMM) (M_n = 1900 g mol^?1; PDI = 1.96) has been synthesized via a high‐temperature polymerization process. Subsequently, the olefinic termini of the BAMM have been transformed into a diol via a dihydroxylation process using KMnO₄ as an oxidizing agent. The OH‐terminated macroinitiator pBA(OH)₂ has subsequently been employed for the ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) of ε‐caprolactone via various catalytic systems, that is, organo‐(1,5,7‐triazabicyclo[4.4.0]dec‐5‐ene), metal (tin(II) 2‐ethylhexanoate), and enzymatic catalysis (Novozym® 435). The obtained pBA‐b‐pCL block copolymers and the initiation efficiency of the BAMM macroinitiator have been investigated via size exclusion chromatography (SEC), electrospray ionization–mass spectrometry (ESI‐MS) hyphenated with SEC and liquid chromatography at the critical conditions of both poly(ε‐caprolactone) (pCL) and pBA. The in vitro enzyme catalysis (eROP) approach proved to be the most efficient catalysis system due to minor transesterification side reactions during the polymerization process. However, side reactions such as transesterifications occur in each catalytic system and—while they cannot be suppressed—they can be minimized. The species generated during the eROP process include the desired block copolymer pBA‐b‐pCL as main species as well as pCL homopolymer and residual macroinitiator pBA(OH)₂. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Biodegradable aromatic copolyesters made from bicyclic acetalized galactaric acid

Random poly(hexamethylene terephthalate‐co‐galactarate)s and poly(dodecamethylene terephthalate‐co‐galactarate)s copolyesters covering the whole range of compositions were obtained with weight‐average molecular weights of ～30,000–50,000 g mol^?1 by melt polycondensation. They were thermally stable above 300 °C, and displayed T_g in the +20 to ?20 °C range with values steadily decreasing with the content in galactarate units. All the copolyesters were semicrystalline with T_m between 50 and 150 °C and those made from dodecanediol were able to crystallize from the melt at a crystallization rate depending on composition. Copolyesters containing up to 50% of galactaric units retained the crystal structure of their respective polyterephthalate homopolyesters, whereas they adopted the structure of the respective polygalactarates when the content in Galx units reached 70%. Stress‐strain essays revealed decay in the mechanical parameters as the aromatic units were replaced by Galx. Incubation in aqueous buffer revealed that hydrolysis of the polyesters were largely enhanced by copolymerization and evidenced the capacity of the Galx unit for making aromatic polyesters susceptible to biodegradation. A detailed NMR analysis complemented by SEM observations indicated that hydrolysis took place by preferred splitting of galactarate ester bonds with releasing of alkanediol and Galx‐diacid. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Single‐pulse pulsed laser polymerization–electron paramagnetic resonance investigations into the termination kinetics of n‐butyl acrylate macromonomers

The termination of model mid‐chain radicals (MCRs), which mimic radicals that occur in acrylate polymerization over a broad range of reaction conditions, has been studied by single‐pulse pulsed laser polymerization (SP‐PLP) in conjunction with electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. The model radicals were generated by initiator‐fragment addition to acrylic macromonomers that were preformed prior to the kinetic experiments, thus enabling separation of termination from the propagation reaction, for these model radicals propagate sparingly, if at all, on the timescale of SP‐PLP experiments. Termination rate coefficients of the MCRs were determined in the temperature range of 0–60°C in acetonitrile and butyl propionate solution as well as in bulk macromonomer over the range of 0–100 °C. Termination rate coefficients slightly below those of the corresponding secondary radicals were deduced, demonstrating the relatively high termination activity of this species, even when undergoing MCR–MCR termination. For chain length of 10, a reduction by a factor of 6 is observed. Unusually high activation energies were found for the termination rate coefficient in these systems, with 35 kJ mol^?1 being determined for bulk macromonomer. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012